I sat down on the mattress, staring at the door where Cassandra had just stood. Her image haunted my thoughts. I outlined her every inch with my mind, wondering what it would feel like to wrap her in my arms, my fingers digging into that supple flesh, my teeth on her neck.

God, it had been so long since I had slept with a woman. I was long overdue for some action.

I fell back, groaning. Stacey had been a good fuck, sure, but even she hadn’t turned me on the way Cassandra did. This woman was a modern-day Aphrodite.

All I wanted to do was barge into her bedroom and have my way with her. But what was the point? She’d never give into her feelings; she was too righteous in her endeavors.

I got up, about to undress when I became acutely aware of my ankle bracelet. Pulling up my pant leg, the red blinking light seemed to stare at me. I had to get this blasted thing off of my body. I couldn’t become VanGuard’s little monkey – it was humiliating. Plus, I had no doubt that they wanted me to do their dirty work. Why else would they keep me around?

Looking out the window, I planned my escape. I knew just the guy who’d be able to help. I just had to figure out how to get there.

Trying my luck, I unlocked the window. To my surprise, it opened. I grinned. Seems like Cassandra had made the mistake of trusting me too soon.

Without an ounce of hesitation, I slipped out the window, trying to be as silent as possible. But as I jumped down, the window slammed down, the sound echoing through the night. “Fuck,” I cursed under my breath.

Knowing Cassandra would investigate the sound in a heartbeat, I made a break for it, running as fast I could to the street. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was. This part of town was wholly unfamiliar to me. At the intersection, I paused, looking up and down the street, trying to determine the best way to go. This hesitation would cost me because the sound of footsteps thundered in my ears.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Cassandra sprinting right toward me.

“Shit.” I dashed forward, my feet booming against the ground.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

Like a streak of fire, she caught up to me, tackling me to the ground.

I tried to push her off me, but she was a feisty one, wrestling with me and trying to pacify me. The thing that surprised me was that I was actually holding back. Sure, with one punch, I probably could have stopped her, but I really didn’t want to hurt her.

In the end, she pinned me down, her fingers wrapped around my wrists, breathing hard as she straddled me.

“Well, hello there, sexy,” I smirked up at her, knowing it would piss her off. “I knew you’d come onto me sooner or later.”

She growled at me, her grip tightening around my wrists and her nails digging into my skin. “You’re in so much trouble right now.”

“Oh, are you going to punish me, mistress?” I taunted.

Before she could say something else, we were interrupted by the rhythmic click, click, click of high heels against the sidewalk.

Looking up, I saw a shadowy figure approach us. I could tell it was a woman by the sway of her hips. As she got closer, the wide-brimmed hat she wore obscured her face, giving her an air of mystery.

“Evita? What are you doing here?” Cassandra asked, quickly getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

I got up as well, standing beside Cassandra almost defensively. I didn’t know who this woman was. She seemed harmless enough, but I couldn’t quite tell. I had never seen someone quite like her before. Nonetheless, I felt the urge to protect Cassandra. For some reason, I hated the idea of her getting hurt.

What the hell had gotten into me?

I’d never cared about anyone other than myself before. Was I growing soft?

No.

“Cruz told me you had taken on a rather… interesting… assignment.” She turned her head in my direction, but even so, her face was shadowed. “He’s told me a lot about you, Emil. I have high hopes for you.”

“Who the hell are you?” I snapped.

“He’s got a temper,” she commented. “You two must be butting heads.”

“Tell me about it,” Cassandra grumbled.

Evita chuckled knowingly. “I’m sure you two will eventually learn to get along.”

“I doubt it,” Cassandra answered. “I just caught him trying to escape.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, dear. Men have a strange way of weaseling into your heart when you least expect them to.”

Cassandra laughed. “If you’re implying that I’m going to fall in love with this man, then you’ve completely lost your mind, Evita. Not in a million years.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad,” I protested.

“You can keep dreaming all you want, but you’re never going to lay a finger on me.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Actually, yes,” she growled. “So don’t even think of trying.”

Evita tilted her head back slightly, her red lips coming into view, revealing a knowing smile. “In any case, I was planning a visit because I have something that I need you to do for me.”

“Oh?” Cassandra tilted her head.

“I need some leeway into the city’s black market, both to stop it and for a bit of… information, shall we say.”

“What kind of information?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s about him, isn’t it?”

Evita did not answer. Instead, she lowered her head, the shadows consuming her features. “Well, what do you say? Think you could help me, Emil? I might make it worth your while.” She reached out a hand, her long, red nails trailing along my jaw.

I smirked. “Depends on what my reward is.”

“All in due time,” she answered. “Think it over.” With that, she walked away, disappearing into the night’s darkness like some kind of apparition.